Technological innovations aimed at improving driver comfort have advanced alongside the trucking industry, particularly in long-haul operations. Sleeper cabs, introduced as early as the 1920s, were often cramped, unsafe, and uncomfortable, yet they enabled owner-operators to remain on the road for extended periods. By the 1960s, the introduction of air-suspension seats marked a major leap forward—reducing shock and vibration, easing back strain, and helping drivers stay alert and comfortable during long hours behind the wheel.

The automatic transmission meanwhile reduced the attention and workload required inside the cabin, such as monitoring the tachometer and taking a hand off the wheel to move the shifter, allowing the driver to ideally keep both hands on the wheel at all times and to focus more on the road.

In 1791, John Barber, an English engineer, patented the first design for a gas turbine engine. His concept used a compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine—a layout that became the foundation for all modern gas turbines. Although the technology of his time couldn’t make it practical, Barber’s design marked a pivotal step toward the development of jet engines and turbine-powered machinery.

George Brayton invents the two-stroke constant pressure internal combustion engine. It was marketed as the “Ready Motor” in 1872.

After the 1973 oil crisis, the U.S. government imposed a nationwide 55-mph speed limit, and fuel shortages and rationing were widespread. Until that time, drivers (especially commercial truckers) used CB radios mostly to locate service stations with better fuel supplies and notify other drivers of speed traps. But during the 1974 strike, led by independent truck drivers, the radios were used to organize blockades and convoys to protest the new speed-limit and other regulations that they felt would negatively impact both their productivity and livelihood.